Her Light will forever shine bright

Maya Angelou passed away yesterday but she is not gone. She left many reminders of herself here on earth. Reminders filled with wisdom, love, and enlightenment. If you dig a little you will find all three of these things and much more in her many autobiographical works and poetry.

She was born and spent a majority of her childhood in my home city, St. Louis, Mo. We have a kinship in my eyes. I feel like I understand (in part) the way she grew up; the neighborhoods; the people. STL is a hard, downtrodden city where a lot of souls are crushed.....hers was too but still she rose. I read, "I Know why the Caged Bird Sings" when I was fifteen years old. The book saddened me and gave me hope. It opened my eyes to some things I couldn't swallow at the stage in my life but to this day I will never forget some of that prose. Maybe the most important thing one human can do for another human is to give them a sense of hope; a sense of strength; a glimpse at what they can be. Maya Angelou dedicated her life to passing these things on to other people. She found a way to rise from poverty, abandonment, and abuse and turn them into Love. That's something....to self teach Love.

With her passing, Twitter and FB blew up. I'm definitely cool with that because even if people didn't know her work or her story then maybe now they may take the time to find out for themselves. It can only help your life to have her teachings in it. Even if some idiots use her legacy and name in a negative light it's cool 'cause I was reminded many times yesterday of something she said long ago, "Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."


-tshurn

"Art is anything you can get away with"

The title of this blog post is a pretty famous quote from Andy Warhol. I have heard it before but I never really thought about it in any kind of distinct way before yesterday. I saw it framed at a trunk show that I attended in the bishop arts section of OC. The atmosphere of the whole event musta had my brain open because I started to think about that quote and a lot of other things while I was there. The trunk show was put on by Daniel Perez of Caviar Club menswear. I believe that he was debuting his line of mens accessories, such as bow ties, lapel pins, handkerchiefs and such. I have to admit that I have never worn any of these items but they looked great on the people that where wearing them at the event. He had classic bow ties, some a lil funky and some just plain elegant. Same goes for the handkerchiefs....but his items where not the only thing there. There was a photographer/graphic artist there showing and selling some of his pieces as well. His name is Daniel Driensky and his drawings were really dope. His pictures were of various things that he is interested in. The sriracha sauce bottle, miller lite can, robo cop vhs tape, and walkman where my favorite selections, the later of which I purchased to hang in my crib. It was so90's Dallas son! You can find Daniel on Instagram....Ya'll know that I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on the Dallas music scene so I have to speak on the sounds. Vinyl Fantasy was manning the 1's and 2's and he had me when I heard him spinning that Shaft, memories of my dad and his friends in our basement while I was stuck upstairs trying to sleep. Any DJ that incorporates 70's soul in his set has a fan in me.....So far it's looking good right??? Classic cool menswear, chill sounds, graphic art.....man, but there was so much more in this small studio. They were offering shaves for men, "menicures" by Vanessa Quilantan who I think is @pronailprincesa but I don't know for sure because of my social problems :), free chocolate mustaches, free TATS!....yall don't hear me tho!, FREE TATTOS! After my two Jamesons on the rocks, I was itching to get a tat on my forearm, but my friend who attended with me @verniciav talked me outta it. I'm not a virgin to ink but none of it is visible with my clothes on, last night I was willing to change that. Maybe it was the art in the air, I'm not sure.....@debdoingdallas hipped me to the party and that was really cool. It kinda represented the vibe that I got from the trunk show last night. People willin to reach out to one another for art's sake. I'm not into posturing and fake shit so it was refreshing to smell realness in the air. Like Andy Warhol said, "Art is anything you can get away with", well the artists last night got away with some really fresh items that will resonate with me for quite some time.


-tshurn

The (Other) Big Dance.

There are 2 big dances going on right now. Just like at the professional level, the women's collegiate players are often overlooked and forgotten during this time of year. Men's Elite Eight games may not start until late afternoon today, but the women's Sweet Sixteen tipped off this morning.

People who have never given women's basketball a chance have no idea. It is not like frowning upon a food like brussel sprouts without trying it. You're depriving yourself of a sport at another skill level. Less physical, perhaps. Less skilled, absolutely not.

There is no "one and done." You see players grow and develop with their team; you get to watch programs dominate. How do you know the name of Shabazz Napier and not know Breanna Stewart? You can't. You shouldn't. A sophomore on the Connecticut women's basketball team, Breanna is helping to build onto UConn's dynasty. Coach Auriemma describes her as "Durantesque." DURANTESQUE! Kevin Durant! The Slim Reaper! Her demeanor on the court is similar to Durant's - she does not have the flashy flare of Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi, but she doesn't need to. Her awe factor is in the completeness of her game. At 6'4" she is nearly unstoppable anywhere on the court; she is a proven mismatch for every team.

The Lady Huskies are a great team to watch. You're watching the team, not the game so much, because with an average winning margin of 30+ points, it is not much of a game by the second half. But to see Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and Breanna Stewart's chemistry and dominance on the court, even for only 20 minutes, is simply amazing. At times, unfair even. Their game reminds me of perfectly lined up dominoes. Upon tip-off, the first domino is nudged, and the rest gracefully follow suit. The 40 minute game is seen as a well-coached pattern of pieces working together. Each pass, each drive, and each jump shot more impressive than the previous one. Each possession is damn near flawless.

Another team that has been exciting to watch is Louisville. Unfortunately for them, they share the same conference as the Huskies. Every time the two teams meet up, I get excited and expect a superb game. And each time, the same result - Connecticut is up by double digits at the half and ends up winning by 17+ points. If Louisville can make it out of their region and beat what looks like the undefeated Fighting Irish, it'll be another rematch with the Huskies. I'll be hyped again...because I like the fight. And I love the game.

And who knows...it could be a good game. After seeing Duncanville girls fall to Manvel in the Class 5A State Championship game this year, we all know a victorious program can and will eventually lose.


-bObD.

Shots...of Espresso.

While some were purchasing televisions and other high dollar electronics, I was at my local Starbucks buying a $75 tumbler the day after this past Thanksgiving.

Marketed as their Black Friday deal, this tumbler got you a free espresso beverage everyday in the month of January. SOLD! Wait - did I just pay $75 (plus tax!) for a tumbler?! I don't usually consider myself an impulse buyer...

The anxiety hit me later that day...
How much does my Vanilla Americano usually cost?
Will I even break even?
How am I going to remember to wash and bring the damn tumbler with me each day?
It's only November...I hope I don't lose the tumbler between now and January.

31 days later, I am feeling quite accomplished. Maybe it is all the caffeine. I think I broke even around day 24  - my drinks had paid for the tumbler. Hallelujah. I could shut up all the haters and disbelievers. It only took me upgrading from a Tall to a Grande...and occasionally adding an extra shot of espresso. But who couldn't use an extra hit every now and then? A few times I splurged on a White Chocolate Mocha, which helped cut into my tumbler debt.

Some caffeinated thoughts...
How am I going to go back to a Tall now?
So you're telling me I am going to have to start paying for my drinks again?
I wonder how many people actually bought the tumbler at the listed $75...as opposed to the Get Lucky clearance deal at Target.
What am I going to do with my tumbler now?
And now comes the withdrawal process...sorry, co-workers...


-bObD.

Up All Night To Get Lucky

The Grammys, Twitter, opinions.....last night had all three. I love music. Music can change your mood; Music has the power to change a soul. The politics and talk and opinions surrounding music sometimes leave me with a bad feeling. Don't get me wrong, I have all kinds of stances of what music is good and who I like and all that. Some people just shouldn't make music, lets be real. The Grammy awards are a night to celebrate music (which I love), and to give awards (don't love so much). The awards thing just kinda jumbles things up and it brings so many other things into the night that shouldn't, in my opinion, be there. Shit man, music has nothing to with race, religion, sexual orientation, politics....yes music can inspire people to as a tool for these things, but music is different. Music is food for your soul. It doesn't care if you gay, or black or hispanic, or white....it don't care if you democratic or republican....it just wants you to feel good while you hear it. Giving awards to music brings all that other "wordly" jazz into it and that urks me. Hey, but this is America and have to have a winner in everything....even things that aren't a competition. Admittedly, I don't really even listen to the sort of music that would be up for a nomination for a Grammy, but of course, I know the music. I hear it everyday and if it's good I groove to it.

The reason why I like to watch the Grammys are the performances. I've been a concert junkie since I was 3 years old and my dad took me and my mom to see Stevie Wonder in St. Louis, Mo. He was working as a body guard for Stevie. Now, I don't remember the event at all, but we have pictures and ya'll know how those can sometime morph into a memory. As a child, I do remember going to see New Edition, The Boys, and the Fat Boys.....I also remember crying for a week after Micheal Jackson cancelled his tour date in St. Louis, after I begged my mom for tickets. She actually got them!, and he cancelled. Performances, to me, show the true passion that the artist has for his craft. It also shows that they have enough love to want to project that passion to their fans.

The two performances that really moved me were Imagine Dragons./Kendrick and the Daft Punk/Pharrell/Stevie/Rodgers performance. Yes, I am biased. I'm a life long Stevie Fan (see previous paragraph), and Pharrell junkie, and Kdot.....mayne Kdot.....or should I just call him by his new name...King Kendrick. I'm not a huge Imagine Dragons fan but that performance was sooooo good. The concept that they came up with was genius....yes we have seen mashups many times before but this one fit together so well that it seemed very original. I love that Kendrick choose MAAD City because that cut says so many things. As usual, he was on point with is spittin, he is a technician with the mic......Imagine Dragons brought it too....I was really into the Huge Drums and when they dropped the base on "Welcome to the New Age", the shit had me headbanging. You could sense in the moment that the performance had everyone's attention. It was like being at a concert. I was actually jealous of the people there cause I know the energy was bananas.

The Daft punk performance was just pure soul. I know that it sounds weird with an electronic group's song, but "Get Lucky", just feels like 70's soul music in my dad's basement. The feeling is what makes it. The groove melted into me. To hear Stevie sing a verse was so organic in that fact that I could see him singing it as his own song.....Pharrells positive vibes and realness make most of the music he jumps on feel "Happy". People want to feel happy and I was last night......I just want to talk about one more performance and that was Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Same Love.

I liked it. I'm not a big Macklemore fan, and yes, I liked MAAD city alot more than The Heist, but for people to keep saying that dude isn't a rapper and this and that. It ain't cool. The homie Jig put me on him a while back and he can rap. You can tell that he love the craft and worked for years to get to where he is now. Yeah, he getting alot of Love, but how can you hate on Love??? The message in the song was enough for me to back the performance. The couples seemed to genuinely be there to profess their love to one another. That's real to me and the type of thing that music can accomplish.....Anyway, that's that....sorry we been gone so long. One.

-tshurn

Food, Family, and Football.

FOOD, FAMILY, & FOOTBALL

 

It's the week of Thanksgiving

When all through the house

Every creature was cooking,

Aprons over the blouse.

 

The playoffs are nearing

As divisions are being clinched.

Teams still struggle with injury

And find themselves in a QB pinch.

 

McCown, Clemons,

Tolzien, Mike Glennon.

These second and third strings are fighting hard.

Matty Ice can't even get the Falcons to Wildcard.

 

It's time to be thankful

Of family, health, and fortunes.

Blessed children and loving wives

Put up with Gridiron Goons.

 

A favorable schedule and healthy roster,

blessings this time of year.

So raise your glass, let's make a toast -

Thankful for all things near and dear.
 

 

-bObD.

America's Primal Sin

This past weekend I went to go see "12 years a slave". It was a transformative experience to say the least. For a few days now I've been racking my brain to figure out what exactly I wanted to say about the film. There are so many levels to the film and and the subject matter itself, that I didn't know where to start. I simply want to state that it is my opinion that EVERYONE needs to see the film.

The movie is based on the 1853 memoir by the same name, written by a free black man named Solomon Northup. The story goes like this...Solomon was a free black musician living in New York when two white men; who offered themselves up as performers asked Solomon to accompany them to Washington DC for a paid performance. Once in D.C., they got him liquored up one night and when he awoke he was in chains and his free papers were gone. His name was changed to Platt and he was shipped to New Orleans to begin his life as a slave. As the title suggests, Solomon spends 12 years as a slave on a few plantations in New Orleans as he encounters various hardships, deceits, and cruelties. I'm guessing the normal nondescript life of a human being forced into slavery.

The beauty of the film is in the simplicity with which the story is executed. Director Steve McQueen understands the feeling the eyes can deliver to an audience. He understands how a wispy far off cry can convey a feeling of desperate despair. These things are integral when portraying such an undertaking, even if it was "just" for 12 years.

Chiwetel Ejiofor portrayed Solomon Northup as a proud, devoted family man of measure. A man who knew that he wanted to survive long enough to awake from his nightmare. Solomon knew that he had to keep his mind crisp and ready to act when the time came. Along with Eliofor's performance many stood out including Michael Fassbender as a deeply disturbed / alcoholic slave owner, and Lupita Nyong'o as an overachieving slave mired in deep despair. This movie isn't an all encompassing epic like "Roots". It doesn't have to be that. The movie leans on humanizing a moment in this country's past that is sometimes glossed over and overlooked. Even me, being an African American, I can even sometimes forget the atrocities that surely my ancestors lived thru. As I left the theatre that day, my heart seemed to beat a few beats slower than usual....I was showed things that I knew, but never felt.


-tshurn

Linsanity, MD, PhD...NBA.

We are always looking for a hero - someone to inspire us. We all have aspirations to be great, to do something great. We dream of being great.

For most Asians, that dream is to go to an Ivy League school and become a doctor. If you don't have a passion for medicine, or suck at Chemistry like myself, you work hard to become a successful engineer. It's not a false stereotype. It is as calculated as every Asian's near, if not perfect, math score. Arts and athletics are frivolous talents that look good on your application, if there is room. They are most definitely not things you make a living out of. It was unheard of to play it off as more than a pasttime, until Jeremy Lin came along.

Linsanity became such a phenomenon. I recently got to watch the film that documented this phenomenon. You can only imagine the crowd it drew at the theater - the parking lot was full of every Honda imagineable and the entrance full of young Asian Americans seemingly loitering.

The film began by introducing family and the importance of Jeremy's family during his childhood. The supportive mother, the father that shared the love of the sport, and the indescribable bond between the brothers. Jeremy had a dominating high school senior year that disappointingly left him without offers from schools. Patience and faith landed him at Harvard, where he flourished. Halfway through the film you could sense that everyone in the theater was living vicariously through the then 18 year old.

The hardships then set in. Jeremy's faith was tested as he bounced from team to team, NBA to Developmental League. He continued to train and play hard until his opportunity arose. It was the moment everyone remembers...the beginning of Linsanity.

In February of 2012, Lin made his first start as a New York Knick against the Jazz. With Stoudemire and Anthony out, Lin led the team to a win streak of seven. I swear when they showed the 3-point buzzer beater against the Raptors, the entire theater erupted. Two ladies behind me were cheering like they were at the game, witnessing the amazing play for the very first time. A feel good feeling filled the theater. Everyone was wide-eyed and beaming with admiration. Every woman was smiling ear to ear as if they were watching their own son's success.

Linsanity was, and is, a huge part of Asian American culture. We were all witnesses. The life it brought to entire families is immeasurable. Hope, faith, and the overall entertainment value of sports was taken to a whole new level for a demographic mainly concerned with success in academics and one's career, not sports. Jeremy Lin may be coming off the bench this year, but his accomplishments have far exceeded anyone's expectations. Awareness has been brought and will hopefully continue to inspire those who have dreams of being something other than a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.


-bObD

Code (True) Blue.

Fanship is a tricky thing. You have your Homer Fans, the ones that love their hometown team. Whether it is the hometown they grew up in or the present day hometown. Then there is the Family Fan. Mom and Dad are Patriots fans, daughter grows up adoring Tom Brady. But really, who doesn't adore Brady? There will always be Bandwagon Fans. Those who are in it just for the wins - the least loyal of all fans.

Being from Texas, no one understands why I am a Titans fan, myself included. I became a fan when the team became the Tennessee Titans, post Houston Oilers. Something about McNair's sexy, big chest in the revamped Titans blue and Eddie George running with the Titans logo. I'm enamored by their logo - if I wasn't the mature, grown fan that I am, I would have my room wall-to-wall with "flaming thumbtack" Fatheads. With no ties to Tennessee at the time, my fandom was as random as the reintroduction of POG-playing days in the early 90's.

Last weekend, I went to my first Titans game at LP Stadium. It was refreshing and a lot of fun! The 49ers were the obvious favorites going into the game, but with Locker returning from injury and the 49ers offense showing recent weakness, it had the potential to be a good game. Too bad that wasn't the case.

The game was pretty much over by the end of the 3rd quarter, with a score of 24-0, San Francisco. Had it been a Dallas Cowboys game at the Deathstar, the fans would have been out the door and in their cars by the middle of the 3rd. The random lots around the stadium make a killing off of parking, especially for blowout games. But these Titans fans remained loyal in their seats, cheering on their team with beer(s) in hand. The stadium erupted at the beginning of the 4th quarter when the first Titans points were scored. A field goal by Bironas! You couldn't help but cheer and enjoy what was left of the game.

It was refreshing to look around and see people appreciate the game and the players, despite the imminent loss. No boo-ing or taunting. Just the love of the game being shared by a stadium full of fans. My team lost but I still walked out of the stadium a winner. At least Miller and Bud had me thinking I was a winner... GO TITANS!



-bObD

Monta Ball

Monta Ellis is a Dallas Maverick. I've been intrigued by Ellis ever since he came into the league in '05. I remember watching him put a ton of points up on some poor school on ESPN his senior year. The kid was so fast and athletic with very deep range on his jumper. Of course, I thought to myself that it was really dumb when he declared. I just thought that he was too slight to survive, but the prevailing thought I had was that he was a pure scorer. Pure scorers are born. They are not made. Monta Ellis was put on this earth to throw a round leather ball through an iron hoop.....

Last week at media day for the Mavs, Ellis gave a qoute that a lot of people found very interesting. What he said was, "I'm going to play Monta Basketball" , "If ya'll want to criticize, criticize". Well then.....Hmmmm? Reporters, Bloggers, and Fans alike are always attempting to play shrinks when it comes to athletes. What did he REALLY mean by that? This type of question doesn't matter when you really think about it deeper. We can make this really simple. Monta is going to take a lot of shots. Monta is going to make a lot of shots. Carlisle is going to try to find a way to help Monta become more efficient. I, for one, think that it will work.....offensively, that it is. Calderon will help, as will Dirty and the Matrix. He will, I repeat, WILL be more efficient than last year. He will attack the basketball more, and he will be happier because he will win more. He actually has people on his team who understand offensive tactics.

MFFL's should just embrace "Monta Ball". It's what we have bean yearning for, for a while now. It's finally here. You can't beg for a nice pair of jeans for Christmas and open the gift and it's True Religion, but you mad cause you ain't get Tom Ford. Come on man. Monta will be Monta, let's revel in it. He's ours now. We are working on a "Monta Ball" tshirt right now!



-tshurn